Peer effects in education : A synthesis of frame factor theory and opportunity to learn

This study draws on previous empirical research within the fields of opportunity to learn (OTL) and peer effects in education. In a recent study, it was argued that the Frame Factor Theory (FFT) could be applied as a theoretical framework to the issue of peer effects in education. Since the FFT predicts that the class composition measured as students’ prior knowledge and aptitude, will have steering and limiting effects on teachers’ instruction, in turn affecting students’ achievement, it was argued that this could be interpreted as one mechanism generating peer effects. Empirical findings from analysis of TIMSS 2015 data supported the hypothesis. Possibly due to poor construct validity, the previous study couldn’t verify the modus operandi of the mechanisms. The FFT predicts that the steering and limiting effect of class composition will affect timing, pacing, and content covered in instruction. From this perspective, the aim of this article is to initiate a synthesis of the OTL- and FFT-perspectives, where OTL-findings on content coverage are included in an FFT-model predicting peer effects in education. A synthesized theoretical model is operationalized and tested with Swedish TIMSS 2011 data (n = 3,928) in a multilevel structural equation model. The main FFT-construct in the study is a latent variable of “Limitations on instruction”, derived from items in the TIMSS teacher survey. Also, a variable of coverage of advanced content is derived from TIMSS 19 topics through assessments by Swedish eighth grade teachers in mathematics. The study revealed that class composition, measured as class-SES, to some extent was related to teachers’ instruction in class, through its limitations on instruction, but it was also related to the content that can be covered in instruction. Results reveal a negative relation between students’ average age of arrival to Sweden on the between-class level and advanced content covered. Through both of these effects, individual students’ achievement in mathematics is affected, indicating the presence of a peer effect. The results from the study thereby support previous findings on the steering and limiting effect of class composition on teachers’ instruction, as well as providing a new theoretical perspective on results from OTL-research. The results indicate that differences in students’ opportunities to learn-measured as content covered-to some extent is related to the steering and limiting effect class composition has upon teachers’ instruction. The results are discussed in both a historical and contemporary context

Hur påverkar förändrad elevsammansättning skolors resultat?

How does changed composition of pupils affect school results?In 2012, The Swedish National Agency for Education published a study inwhich they examined how equivalence between Swedish primary schoolshas developed over time. The agency concluded that the equivalence haddeteriorated, mainly because of an increased between-school variancein results. The increased between-school variance was partly shown byexamining the increased gap between schools in which 20 % or more ofthe pupils didn’t meet the demands for passing on to secondary schooland schools where almost every pupil did. The first group has increasedsince year 2000 and consisted in 2011 of 231 schools. In this study theseschools are examined. The hypothesis that a significant change in pupilcomposition over time can explain deteriorated results is tested. The resultsshow that the schools have undergone a significant change in pupilcomposition. Mainly pupils born in Sweden by Swedish parents have leftthe schools. The majority of the schools are public schools. The changein pupil composition is strongly correlated with deteriorated results

Psykisk påfrestning och samvetsstress i lärares arbetsliv

Lärare är en yrkesgrupp som vittnar om hög arbetsbelastning och att arbetet är psykiskt påfrestande. Internationell forskning har visat att faktorer som påverkar lärares arbetsmiljö är tidspress, höga krav, omfattande administration, känslomässig utmattning och bristande studiero i undervisningen. Detta har delvis bekräftats i svensk forskning och vissa skillnader har förklarats av om lärarna arbetar på en kommunal eller fristående skola. Denna artikel visar att lärares arbetsmiljö, och skillnader mellan huvudmän, delvis kan förklaras av studiero i undervisningen och förekomsten av så kallad samvetsstress bland lärare. Dessa faktorer är i sin tur relaterade till skolors elevsammansättning.As a group, teachers continually report high workload and psychological strain. The international literature has reported evidence of factors influencing teachers’ work environment, such as time pressure, demands, administration, emotional strain and disruptive behavior. Some of these factors have been verified in Swedish research, and differences have been reported between public and private schools. This study reports evidence that teachers’ psychological strain can be predicted by disruptive classroom behavior and stress of conscience. These factors were in turn related to school composition

Vad är ett E-Arkiv? : En fallstudie på E-Arkiv Stockholm

The aim of this thesis in Archival Science was to explore the concept of electronic archives and the challenges that might be encountered when attempting to move archives into a new digital age, as well as having a closer look at the term e-archive itself. Another aim was to explore how the OAIS reference model works in practice.To explore these questions I decided to do a case study on E-Arkiv Stockholm, a functioning e-archive. I decided to do a study on several documents that were created throughout the project, these included documents related to the planning of the archive, as well as the final report. My reason for this method was that these docu-ments came straight from reality and would give a clear and unbiased view of the project and it’s many aspects.Examination of the documents showed that the OAIS reference model and its concepts had been the foun-dation of much of the planning. Thoughts and planning on the matter of digital preservation are also based in the model, with a focus on migration and conversion of digital material as a means to ensure it’s lasting existence, as well as keeping a close eye on the technical development of both hardware and software. I also reached the con-clusion that the concept and term e-archive is not so much about re-inventing archival policies and theory as it is about keeping true to already existing practices in a new digital environment. With a special focus on preserva-tion, as digital preservation might, both now and in the future, prove to be much more of a challenge then the preservation of more traditional media.This is a one-year masters thesis in archival science

Kamrateffekter i skolundervisning – En ramfaktorteoretisk analys

In the educational literature on peer effects, attention has been brought to the fact that the mechanisms creating peer effects are still to a large extent hidden in obscurity. The hypothesis in this study is that the Frame Factor Theory can be used to explain these mechanisms. At heart of the theory is the concept of “time needed” for students to learn a certain curricula unit. The relations between class-aggregated time needed and the actual time available, steers and hinders the actions possible for the teacher. Further, the theory predicts that the timing and pacing of the teachers’ instruction is governed by a “steering criterion group” (SCG), namely the pupils in the 10th-25th percentile of the aptitude distribution in class. The class composition hereby set the possibilities and limitations for instruction, creating peer effects on individual outcomes. To test if the theory can be applied to the issue of peer effects, the study employs multilevel structural equation modelling (M-SEM) on Swedish TIMSS 2015-data (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study; students N=3761, teachers N=179). Using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) in the SEM-framework, latent variables are specified according to the theory, such as “limitations of instruction” from TIMSS survey items. The results indicate a good model fit to data of the measurement model. The SEM-model verify a strong relation between the mean level of the SCG and the latent variable of limitations on instruction, a variable which in turn has a great impact on individual students’ test results. Thus, the analysis indicates a confirmation of the predictions derived from the frame factor theory and reveals that one of the important mechanisms creating peer effects in student outcomes is the effect the class composition has upon the teachers’ instruction in class

Exploring mechanisms of peer effects in education : Frame factor analyses of classroom instruction

Despite a vast international literature, previous research into compositional effects and peer effects in education has remarked on the lack of consensus within the field. To date, peer effects in education and students’ different opportunities to learn in school have been studied separately. In this thesis, it is argued that these perspectives need to be synthesized. In the thesis, Frame Factor Theory is employed as a theory of peer effects in classroom instruction. According to the theory, one mechanism generating peer effects is the steering and limiting effect that class composition has on teachers’ instruction. It is argued that this perspective also needs to be synthesized with the Opportunity to Learn-perspective, to widen our understanding of why different students meet different instruction and thus are given different opportunities to learn. The theoretical perspectives and empirical models are evolved through three empirical studies included in the thesis. The theoretical development and the empirical results from each study is discussed in an integrative essay in the thesis. The results indicate that class composition affects the presence of limitations on instruction and content coverage in instruction, both of which is related to students’ opportunities to learn and individual students’ achievement. Implications for future research and educational policy is discussed

Personalstrategier : En kvalitativ studie om hur fyra industriföretag jobbar med en intern eller extern personalstrategi.

Kompetens och kompetensförsörjning är något som ständigt är aktuellt särskilt nu i och med det pågående generationsskiftet med stora pensionsavångar. En del organisationer väljer att jobba med bemanning och rekrytering själva och andra företag väljer att ta hjälp av bemanningsföretag antingen med inhyrd personal eller också extern rekrytering. Vilka orsaker som ligger bakom att företag som befinner sig i industrisektorn väljer olika personalstrategier är något av vad denna studie har som syfte att belysa.Forskning visar på att kompetens skapar konkurrensfördelar som är svåra att kopiera om det genomförs på ett företagsspecifikt sätt. Denna studie visar på att industrierna utvecklat sina personalstrategier på ett företagsspecifikt sätt. Vidare kommer studien att belysa var och en av dessa företagsspecifika sätt att jobba med rekrytering och bemanning. Senare analyseras och diskuteras resultatet av företagens personalstrategier. Resultatet kommer visa på vilka faktorer som är avgörande i företags val av att hyra eller inte hyra personal.En slutsats som studien visar på är att HR (human resource) har en betydande roll för vilket val företag gör i att hyra eller inte hyra personal. Ytterligare en betydande faktor är att företagets ekonomi måste avvägas mot den personalpolitik företaget vill visa både inåt och utåt

Vad är ett E-Arkiv? : En fallstudie på E-Arkiv Stockholm

The aim of this thesis in Archival Science was to explore the concept of electronic archives and the challenges that might be encountered when attempting to move archives into a new digital age, as well as having a closer look at the term e-archive itself. Another aim was to explore how the OAIS reference model works in practice.To explore these questions I decided to do a case study on E-Arkiv Stockholm, a functioning e-archive. I decided to do a study on several documents that were created throughout the project, these included documents related to the planning of the archive, as well as the final report. My reason for this method was that these docu-ments came straight from reality and would give a clear and unbiased view of the project and it’s many aspects.Examination of the documents showed that the OAIS reference model and its concepts had been the foun-dation of much of the planning. Thoughts and planning on the matter of digital preservation are also based in the model, with a focus on migration and conversion of digital material as a means to ensure it’s lasting existence, as well as keeping a close eye on the technical development of both hardware and software. I also reached the con-clusion that the concept and term e-archive is not so much about re-inventing archival policies and theory as it is about keeping true to already existing practices in a new digital environment. With a special focus on preserva-tion, as digital preservation might, both now and in the future, prove to be much more of a challenge then the preservation of more traditional media.This is a one-year masters thesis in archival science

Peer effects in education : A synthesis of frame factor theory and opportunity to learn

This study draws on previous empirical research within the fields of opportunity to learn (OTL) and peer effects in education. In a recent study, it was argued that the Frame Factor Theory (FFT) could be applied as a theoretical framework to the issue of peer effects in education. Since the FFT predicts that the class composition measured as students’ prior knowledge and aptitude, will have steering and limiting effects on teachers’ instruction, in turn affecting students’ achievement, it was argued that this could be interpreted as one mechanism generating peer effects. Empirical findings from analysis of TIMSS 2015 data supported the hypothesis. Possibly due to poor construct validity, the previous study couldn’t verify the modus operandi of the mechanisms. The FFT predicts that the steering and limiting effect of class composition will affect timing, pacing, and content covered in instruction. From this perspective, the aim of this article is to initiate a synthesis of the OTL- and FFT-perspectives, where OTL-findings on content coverage are included in an FFT-model predicting peer effects in education. A synthesized theoretical model is operationalized and tested with Swedish TIMSS 2011 data (n = 3,928) in a multilevel structural equation model. The main FFT-construct in the study is a latent variable of “Limitations on instruction”, derived from items in the TIMSS teacher survey. Also, a variable of coverage of advanced content is derived from TIMSS 19 topics through assessments by Swedish eighth grade teachers in mathematics. The study revealed that class composition, measured as class-SES, to some extent was related to teachers’ instruction in class, through its limitations on instruction, but it was also related to the content that can be covered in instruction. Results reveal a negative relation between students’ average age of arrival to Sweden on the between-class level and advanced content covered. Through both of these effects, individual students’ achievement in mathematics is affected, indicating the presence of a peer effect. The results from the study thereby support previous findings on the steering and limiting effect of class composition on teachers’ instruction, as well as providing a new theoretical perspective on results from OTL-research. The results indicate that differences in students’ opportunities to learn-measured as content covered-to some extent is related to the steering and limiting effect class composition has upon teachers’ instruction. The results are discussed in both a historical and contemporary context

Vad är ett E-Arkiv? : En fallstudie på E-Arkiv Stockholm

The aim of this thesis in Archival Science was to explore the concept of electronic archives and the challenges that might be encountered when attempting to move archives into a new digital age, as well as having a closer look at the term e-archive itself. Another aim was to explore how the OAIS reference model works in practice.To explore these questions I decided to do a case study on E-Arkiv Stockholm, a functioning e-archive. I decided to do a study on several documents that were created throughout the project, these included documents related to the planning of the archive, as well as the final report. My reason for this method was that these docu-ments came straight from reality and would give a clear and unbiased view of the project and it’s many aspects.Examination of the documents showed that the OAIS reference model and its concepts had been the foun-dation of much of the planning. Thoughts and planning on the matter of digital preservation are also based in the model, with a focus on migration and conversion of digital material as a means to ensure it’s lasting existence, as well as keeping a close eye on the technical development of both hardware and software. I also reached the con-clusion that the concept and term e-archive is not so much about re-inventing archival policies and theory as it is about keeping true to already existing practices in a new digital environment. With a special focus on preserva-tion, as digital preservation might, both now and in the future, prove to be much more of a challenge then the preservation of more traditional media.This is a one-year masters thesis in archival science